Heritage Open Day

In celebration of Heritage Open Day, the National Trust opened some 300 of their properties to the public today, waiving regular entrance fees and putting on special events at some locations. We took this opportunity to visit two National Trust properties which we've not yet visited, starting with one right in our own borough: Sutton House, the oldest residential building in Hackney.

Located on a busy thoroughfare, Sutton House isn't the type of place you would just happen past--all the more reason we were pleased that the open day gave us an excuse to visit. Built in 1535 and home to generations of merchants, Huguenot silkweavers, Victorian schoolmistresses, and clergy, the house is a rare surviving example of a red-brick Tudor house, situated in what was once considered a country retreat. In the early 1980s, the house was briefly home to a live-music venue, then squatters moved in. After the squatters were evicted, the building continued its decline. Sutton House reopened to the public in 1991 after extensive restoration, and now contains a museum, gallery, café, and gift shop.

A painting near the entrance provides a pleasing representation of Sutton House's location--minus the traffic, noise, and pollution that fills Homerton High Street!

From 1627, the house was owned by Captain Milward, a prosperous silk merchant. While the house previously had a steep, narrow stairwell in another part of the house, Milward installed a wider staircase so that his frequent guests would have a classier way to reach the first floor. Although Milward originally wanted to line the staircase with wood carvings as a way of showing off his wealth, he wasn't quite as rich as some of this peers whose homes featured such ornamentation, so he used decorative painting to create a luxurious wood effect instead. Some of these wall decorations remain,

and I especially liked this goat:

The first floor contains some beautiful rooms

whose warm panelling can be opened to reveal the original panelling underneath.

The largest room in the house is the Great Chamber, where guests were entertained.

Back on the ground floor, we walked through the kitchen,

which opened onto the house's lovely inner courtyard.The basement contains a room that has variously served as a schoolroom and chapel:

After spending a while in serene Sutton House, it was strange to go outside and find ourselves on a busy Hackney street! As we approached the rail station on our way to our next destination, I liked this sign that pointed the way to the Alma--but when we got to the intersection, there didn't seem to be an Alma in sight.

We've walked past Fenton House several times during our explorations of Hampstead, but today was the first time we've gone inside, and it's now one of our favourite spots in Hampstead (which is saying a lot for such a great neighbourhood). The long approach through the front garden begins to provide a sense of what has been called "London's most enchanting country house."

One of the first and largest houses in Hampstead, Fenton House is thought to date to 1686, and contains collections of early keyboard instruments, paintings, porcelain, and needlework in its charming rooms.

When the keyboard collection was bequeathed to the National Trust, the stipulation was made that the instruments should be kept in working order and be made available to the public. As a result, any instrument in Fenton House can be played by members of the public, by prior arrangement (which involves a written application and an audition to ensure that you're actually a musician who would benefit from such a playing opportunity). A woman was playing one of the instruments while we were there, and we listened for a while before continuing through the house.

This mock-up of a blue plaque caught my attention in the attic--mostly for the strange names that graced it:

A nearby display case told me that Odd was a bear and Elsewhere was a clown, but I was still at a loss as to their significance. I asked Bob if he knew, since there have been a few cultural references we've encountered since we've lived in London that I haven't known, and Bob's not only known, but been surprised that I didn't know. In this case, he was as in the dark as I was, so I had to wait until we got home to learn that Odd and Elsewhere are the main characters in a series of children's books whose premise is that the toys have been left behind in London by their owners, so they fend for themselves in the big city, getting into some mishaps along the way.

As if the house wasn't lovely enough, my glimpse of the back garden made me gasp,

and we headed outside to walk around this fantastic space.

Not only is there a gorgeous manicured garden, there's also a 300-year-old apple orchard!

The house and its grounds really couldn't be more perfect. Now I understand the use of the word "enchanting" to describe this place!

We reluctantly left the paradise of Fenton House, and wandered around Hampstead for a bit, coming across a neighbourhood street party

before heading onto the Heath, where swimmers did lengths in one of the bathing ponds:

We made our way across to Parliament Hill,

which was filled with people enjoying the warm, sunny Saturday.

As usual, Parliament Hill was a perfect place for kites, and this girl couldn't help but look up at hers and smile every few steps.

We walked down the hill and sat for a while, enjoying the view (which includes the BT Tower, at the far right, of which I gave you a much closer-up view two days ago!)

and the cute dogs that seemed to be everywhere

before walking back to the rail station to catch a train home. When we exited the station, we saw an unusual sight for our neighbourhood:

Behind the truck was a lavish carriage, which we guessed had been decorated for a wedding, and we watched the men loading the horses into the truck before walking home to make supper and cool off after a very warm, but rather perfect, September day.